Coordinated work of macro and micro base stations in the creation of heterogeneous networks as the key to the development of mobile broadband
The development of mobile broadband makes new demands on wireless networks. First, it is required to ensure stable coverage of 3G / 4G networks, especially in densely populated cities with large data traffic, then to meet the rapidly growing demand for Internet traffic. However, on the way to solving the above problems, we are faced with problems related to the operation of macro base stations.
From the point of view of network coverage, the main problem is as follows: the resources for locating macro base stations are exhausted, the planned and actual locations of the stations often do not coincide, there are “white spots” in the network coverage. Active urban construction also leads to additional obstacles, which affects the quality of the network signal and leads to the appearance of places with a very low signal or no signal. In the absence of distributed network systems in rooms, it is impossible to provide a steady signal reception inside buildings. These real problems suggest that macro base stations can only serve as a basis for ensuring normal network coverage and it is very difficult for operators to build seamless communication networks, the quality of which could fully meet the needs of users. If we consider the situation from the point of view of network capacity and user satisfaction, in the conditions of the development of mobile broadband access, the construction of communication networks using the model of using exclusively macro base stations is becoming an increasing problem. The widespread use of smart terminals (for example, smartphones) for Internet access has led to the rapid development of mobile broadband services and the growth of network traffic. Especially the rapid growth of network traffic is observed in the so-called Hot Spots - places of traffic concentration, which include offices, stadiums, train stations, airports, shopping centers. At the same time, along with the development of mobile broadband services, the need for high-speed data processing is growing. Therefore, the key problem of the further development of mobile broadband services is the satisfaction of needs for network capacity and processing speed in places of traffic concentration. But the limited capacity of networks in Hot Spots and the impossibility of the infinite expansion of macro base stations affect the quality of service of subscribers and the services provided to them.
In the era of mobile broadband access, network quality becomes for operators the “main driving force”. Only those who provide the users with the best quality of service will be able, in the conditions of the toughest competition, to win a greater market share. Thus, operators can not only build base stations of communication networks, they must create networks whose quality will satisfy the most demanding users, must overcome all obstacles that prevent them from providing services of the highest quality.
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To overcome the problems of limited capacity and network coverage, emergency measures are required. The best solution is to use micro base stations and, by ensuring their interaction with the macro networks of the macro level, to build high-speed, high-capacity heterogeneous networks.
Micro base stations have a small size and weight, are easy to install and do not require a special installation location. They have an advantage in terms of deployment and are designed to eliminate the "white spots" in the network coverage, and are capable of ensuring stable reception of the signal indoors. Thus, they help to solve the problem of high traffic concentration points. First, micro base stations can be used to provide stable coverage of the network of macro base stations in places of “white spots” and to increase the signal level inside buildings. Secondly, they can be used to reduce the load in places of traffic concentration and increase the network capacity, meeting the demand of subscribers for broadband access services. Micro base stations are also used to gradually increase network capacity. If traffic concentration spots appear only in some zones, you can add a small number of micro base stations. In this case, micro base stations and macro base stations can be deployed on the same frequency, and a matching algorithm is used to eliminate the interference between them. In situations where the concentration of voice traffic is very high, the number of micro base stations increases and dynamic carrier frequency distribution can be performed on them, which allows for even greater network capacity.
Creating hybrid macro-microgrids not only increases network capacity and customer satisfaction, but also should minimize the influence of extraneous factors on key performance indicators of the existing network. Technologies such as the interaction and integration of macro- and micronutrients and the implementation of the SON specification are used to solve this problem.
Coordination of macro and micro base stations is invaluable when building a hybrid macro-microgrid, it allows to eliminate the interference between them, increase the speed of user access to the Internet and the efficiency of using the frequency spectrum of the network. In particular, the coordination of macro-and microelements implies the coordination of interference and multipoint interaction of elements. The most effective way to correct interference between macro and microelements operating on the same frequency is matching them. In the case when micro and macro stations use the same carrier frequency, to prevent interference, it is necessary to implement a time interval for the traffic to pass between them or a method for estimating the efficiency. When a network is used in which macro and micronutrients use several carrier frequencies, coordination of carrier frequency resources is necessary to prevent interference between frequencies. In this case, the most common technology for eliminating interference between micro and macro elements is eICIC / FeICIC. Multipoint interaction of micro and macro elements is usually typical for scenarios when a micro base station, macro base station or several micro base stations send data to the subscriber or receive data from it, if the subscriber is simultaneously within their coverage area, in order to minimize interference, increase processing speed user data, meet the needs of the subscriber. In this case, the most effective way is the technology of combining the coverage areas of micro and macro base stations and the CoMP technology.
The integration technology of macro and microelements, applying the aggregation of channels of micro and macro base stations, allows operators to efficiently use the radio frequency spectrum resources, combine data flows of macro base stations and micro base stations, and increase network capacity. The purpose of channel aggregation is a high-speed, low-latency interconnect between stations of the same or different levels to meet the demand of users for high-speed data transfer. Channel aggregation between micro and macro base stations is typically used in FDD + FDD or FDD + TDD networks. Aggregation of FDD TDD channels is one of the main ways of channel aggregation, the use of which allows, using LTE FDD and LTE TDD technologies, to allocate radio frequency resources as efficiently as possible. Aggregation of FDD TDD channels between macro base stations and micro base stations implies flexible tuning of the main carrier depending on the network signal level.
The ease of deployment, operation, maintenance, and a number of characteristics of the SON specification reduce the cost of micro base stations. The SON specifications for micro base stations also include the ability to self-tune according to the network environment, automatic tuning of the frequency, scrambling code, identification of neighboring stations, power, planning and tuning of other wireless communication parameters. For example, if new base stations are deployed at the periphery, the network is automatically optimized; auto tuning scrambling code, power and other parameters allows you to achieve key performance indicators.
With the development of mobile broadband access, network coverage and bandwidth problems are becoming more and more relevant, traditional networks with macro base stations should be replaced by networks built on the coordination of macro and micro base stations, and customer satisfaction will be key tasks in building any network and improved user experience. Aligning macro and microelement networks can not only improve the user experience, but also help operators to build the highest quality mobile broadband access networks as quickly as possible.
From the point of view of network coverage, the main problem is as follows: the resources for locating macro base stations are exhausted, the planned and actual locations of the stations often do not coincide, there are “white spots” in the network coverage. Active urban construction also leads to additional obstacles, which affects the quality of the network signal and leads to the appearance of places with a very low signal or no signal. In the absence of distributed network systems in rooms, it is impossible to provide a steady signal reception inside buildings. These real problems suggest that macro base stations can only serve as a basis for ensuring normal network coverage and it is very difficult for operators to build seamless communication networks, the quality of which could fully meet the needs of users. If we consider the situation from the point of view of network capacity and user satisfaction, in the conditions of the development of mobile broadband access, the construction of communication networks using the model of using exclusively macro base stations is becoming an increasing problem. The widespread use of smart terminals (for example, smartphones) for Internet access has led to the rapid development of mobile broadband services and the growth of network traffic. Especially the rapid growth of network traffic is observed in the so-called Hot Spots - places of traffic concentration, which include offices, stadiums, train stations, airports, shopping centers. At the same time, along with the development of mobile broadband services, the need for high-speed data processing is growing. Therefore, the key problem of the further development of mobile broadband services is the satisfaction of needs for network capacity and processing speed in places of traffic concentration. But the limited capacity of networks in Hot Spots and the impossibility of the infinite expansion of macro base stations affect the quality of service of subscribers and the services provided to them.
In the era of mobile broadband access, network quality becomes for operators the “main driving force”. Only those who provide the users with the best quality of service will be able, in the conditions of the toughest competition, to win a greater market share. Thus, operators can not only build base stations of communication networks, they must create networks whose quality will satisfy the most demanding users, must overcome all obstacles that prevent them from providing services of the highest quality.
')
To overcome the problems of limited capacity and network coverage, emergency measures are required. The best solution is to use micro base stations and, by ensuring their interaction with the macro networks of the macro level, to build high-speed, high-capacity heterogeneous networks.
Micro base stations have a small size and weight, are easy to install and do not require a special installation location. They have an advantage in terms of deployment and are designed to eliminate the "white spots" in the network coverage, and are capable of ensuring stable reception of the signal indoors. Thus, they help to solve the problem of high traffic concentration points. First, micro base stations can be used to provide stable coverage of the network of macro base stations in places of “white spots” and to increase the signal level inside buildings. Secondly, they can be used to reduce the load in places of traffic concentration and increase the network capacity, meeting the demand of subscribers for broadband access services. Micro base stations are also used to gradually increase network capacity. If traffic concentration spots appear only in some zones, you can add a small number of micro base stations. In this case, micro base stations and macro base stations can be deployed on the same frequency, and a matching algorithm is used to eliminate the interference between them. In situations where the concentration of voice traffic is very high, the number of micro base stations increases and dynamic carrier frequency distribution can be performed on them, which allows for even greater network capacity.
Creating hybrid macro-microgrids not only increases network capacity and customer satisfaction, but also should minimize the influence of extraneous factors on key performance indicators of the existing network. Technologies such as the interaction and integration of macro- and micronutrients and the implementation of the SON specification are used to solve this problem.
Coordination of macro and micro base stations is invaluable when building a hybrid macro-microgrid, it allows to eliminate the interference between them, increase the speed of user access to the Internet and the efficiency of using the frequency spectrum of the network. In particular, the coordination of macro-and microelements implies the coordination of interference and multipoint interaction of elements. The most effective way to correct interference between macro and microelements operating on the same frequency is matching them. In the case when micro and macro stations use the same carrier frequency, to prevent interference, it is necessary to implement a time interval for the traffic to pass between them or a method for estimating the efficiency. When a network is used in which macro and micronutrients use several carrier frequencies, coordination of carrier frequency resources is necessary to prevent interference between frequencies. In this case, the most common technology for eliminating interference between micro and macro elements is eICIC / FeICIC. Multipoint interaction of micro and macro elements is usually typical for scenarios when a micro base station, macro base station or several micro base stations send data to the subscriber or receive data from it, if the subscriber is simultaneously within their coverage area, in order to minimize interference, increase processing speed user data, meet the needs of the subscriber. In this case, the most effective way is the technology of combining the coverage areas of micro and macro base stations and the CoMP technology.
The integration technology of macro and microelements, applying the aggregation of channels of micro and macro base stations, allows operators to efficiently use the radio frequency spectrum resources, combine data flows of macro base stations and micro base stations, and increase network capacity. The purpose of channel aggregation is a high-speed, low-latency interconnect between stations of the same or different levels to meet the demand of users for high-speed data transfer. Channel aggregation between micro and macro base stations is typically used in FDD + FDD or FDD + TDD networks. Aggregation of FDD TDD channels is one of the main ways of channel aggregation, the use of which allows, using LTE FDD and LTE TDD technologies, to allocate radio frequency resources as efficiently as possible. Aggregation of FDD TDD channels between macro base stations and micro base stations implies flexible tuning of the main carrier depending on the network signal level.
The ease of deployment, operation, maintenance, and a number of characteristics of the SON specification reduce the cost of micro base stations. The SON specifications for micro base stations also include the ability to self-tune according to the network environment, automatic tuning of the frequency, scrambling code, identification of neighboring stations, power, planning and tuning of other wireless communication parameters. For example, if new base stations are deployed at the periphery, the network is automatically optimized; auto tuning scrambling code, power and other parameters allows you to achieve key performance indicators.
With the development of mobile broadband access, network coverage and bandwidth problems are becoming more and more relevant, traditional networks with macro base stations should be replaced by networks built on the coordination of macro and micro base stations, and customer satisfaction will be key tasks in building any network and improved user experience. Aligning macro and microelement networks can not only improve the user experience, but also help operators to build the highest quality mobile broadband access networks as quickly as possible.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/318718/
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